I believe it is incredibly important to support pregnant women who are childhood sexual abuse or other trauma survivors in healing their past and preparing for their birth / motherhood journey in a meaningful and intentional way. Although addressing a history of abuse or trauma may not seem like what you envision doing during your pregnancy, for a survivor to use this transformative time in her life to heal and prevent further traumatization can be life-altering for her as a woman and a mother. To that end, one of the ways I support women in this healing work is through offering individual consultations for trauma survivors…

Whenever I work with a pregnant woman, I am passionate about helping her feel informed and empowered about her pregnancy and upcoming birth. When that woman is an abuse or trauma survivor, the importance of understanding what is happening and being able to set boundaries can make the difference between her having a healing or retraumatizing pregnancy and birth experience.

The individual consultations are designed to help a pregnant childhood sexual abuse or other trauma (including previous birth trauma) survivor prepare for her birth with reflection on her past and intention for healing. During a consultation, I utilize my clinical background as a psychotherapist, my practical skills and knowledge as a birth doula, and my training in trauma and recovery to help make this healing possible.

Each woman needs something different from her birth experience in order to heal, and each consultation is therefore individualized to a woman and her history. As a general guideline: we will discuss the most common maternity triggers, as defined in the book When Survivors Give Birth; I will help you get clarity on which ones are the most triggering/anxiety producing for you; and we will strategize which coping mechanisms will be beneficial to you during your pregnancy and birth. While childbirth can often retrigger previous abuse or trauma, it is amazing how being aware of potential triggers, and learning how to prevent or work with them, may allow you to heal old wounds and move into motherhood with a new sense of self.

An individual consultation is usually split into two 2-hour sessions, although some clients benefit from three or four sessions. Having a minimum of two sessions allows us time to discuss any parts of your history that you want to disclose (which can be helpful to the process, but not necessary), delve into each of the maternity care practices, and work on coping strategies and birth planning. For a client who wants more support before or after their consultation, I offer psychotherapy sessions that (unlike the individual consultations) do not have a specific direction or purpose; they are your time to process through whatever is coming up for you.

My rate for each 2-hour session is $175. I offer a sliding-scale for clients who otherwise would not engage in this important work, and a free 30-minute phone consultation for potential clients to learn more about me and see if we are a good fit. Please Contact Me for additional information, or click on the button below to book a free 30-minute phone consultation or your first two-hour survivor consultation.